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John Gay's The Beggar's Opera uses caricature and parody to mock the corruption of both the upper class and the criminal underworld. Instead of noble heroes or virtuous leaders, Gay presents a world where thieves and politicians are barely…

In this first painting of Hogarth's Marriage A-La-Mode satirical series, Hogarth critiques the transactional nature of aristocratic marriage through dense layers of symbolism. The figures are positioned like chess pieces in a business deal to expose…